Photo: JIT.

Havana, December 30 (RHC)-- The Cuban Football Association deeply regrets the death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, "Pelé", at 82 years of age and victim of cancer. "Soccer thus loses one of its best sons," reads the Twitter account of the governing body of the sport on the island. 

The president of the AFC, Oliet Rodríguez, also expressed his condolences after the death of the world soccer star....

"We are sorry for the loss of a world soccer reference. Pelé should be an example for all those who practice this sport, which he gave prestige to. Our condolences go out to the entire international soccer community in this moment of irreparable loss," he said in the JIT publication.

Pelé is considered by FIFA as the best soccer player of all times, for being the only one with three World Cup titles: Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and Mexico 1970.

Of poor origin, he became Brazil's Minister of Sports in 1994 on merit. In 1977, he was appointed ambassador of the United Nations Organization, which awarded him its World Citizen decoration. 

Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef and member of the FIFA Fair Play Committee, Pelé was an example for all soccer players around the world.

He scored 1,284 goals in his career and is officially recognized as the top scorer in history.

He died on Thursday at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in Sao Paulo, after his health condition worsened due to colon cancer.